Short Interest in Yara International ASA (OTCMKTS:YARIY) Rises By 609.6%

Key Points

• Short interest in Yara International ASA surged 609.6% in June to 31,309 shares from 4,412 shares two weeks earlier, though the short-interest ratio remains low at 0.3 days and only 0.0% of shares are currently sold short.
• Analyst sentiment has softened overall, with several firms downgrading the stock to Hold in recent reports. The consensus rating now stands at Moderate Buy, based on two Strong Buy and four Hold ratings.
• The stock edged up 0.4% to $22.80 and the company reported solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates. Yara posted $0.82 EPS versus $0.76 expected, with revenue of $4.26 billion versus $3.95 billion forecast.

Yara International ASA (OTCMKTS:YARIY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 31,309 shares, a growth of 609.6% from the June 15th total of 4,412 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 98,158 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days. Currently, 0.0% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

YARIY has been the topic of several research reports. Pareto Securities raised shares of Yara International ASA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup lowered Yara International ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research cut Yara International ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Yara International ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Yara International ASA Stock Up 0.4%

OTCMKTS:YARIY traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $22.80. 37,029 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 39,841. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.62 billion, a PE ratio of 8.29 and a beta of 0.57. Yara International ASA has a 12-month low of $17.48 and a 12-month high of $31.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.79. The business has a 50-day moving average of $25.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.16.

Yara International ASA (OTCMKTS:YARIY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.06. Yara International ASA had a net margin of 8.58% and a return on equity of 23.06%. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.95 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Yara International ASA will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Yara International ASA

Yara International ASA is a Norway-based chemical company that specializes in the production and distribution of mineral fertilizers and nitrogen-based crop nutrition solutions. Headquartered in Oslo, Yara is recognized for its comprehensive portfolio of products that support agricultural productivity, environmental protection and industrial applications. The company's operations span the entire value chain from ammonia production to the blending and distribution of finished fertilizer products.

The core of Yara's business centers on nitrogen-based fertilizers including ammonium nitrate, urea, calcium ammonium nitrate and specialty blends designed to optimize crop yield and nutrient use efficiency.

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